FRINGE REWATCH: 3.05 Amber 31422 — Ghosts Of Over There

OurFringe Rewatch continues as we search for new perspectives ahead of the fourth season. Up next: Amber 31422 - or what we’re calling: “Ghosts Of Over There.”

Please note: these rewatches may contain references to later episodes.

In case you didn’t manage to rewatch this episode, here’s a promo to give you a sense of where the story was:

This retrospective is focused around two main areas: NEW PERSPECTIVES, where I look at the episode with new eyes. And FINDING PETER, where I share my speculations and thoughts in relation to Peter ‘ceasing to exist’ and the new timeline.

As mentioned previously, I’ll be making an effort to avoid going over old ground, but there will be links at the end to my previous rewatch articles should you wish to drill down on my previous thoughts.

NEW PERSPECTIVES / FINDING PETER

One of the main seriable connections is the amber toxin. It appeared earlier in the season, but it became a part of the plot in this one. A very nice overarching element, originating from the first season, that added extra meaning and symbolism to the third.

The amber symbolism also reflects the idea that our heroes’ memories have been frozen in place, waiting to be awakened. Is there a central consciousness reservoir that contains experiences from all timelines?

One of the most interesting things for me was tracking the Walternate/Olivia/Broylnate story. The episode marks the gradual shift in Broylnate’s loyalties. There’s the sense that he had a similar protective nature towards Altlivia, which may say something about Peter’s influence on reality vs timeline.

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Comments

Olivia could have chosen other people to be her Projection, but she ended up focusing only one one: Peter. This is interesting now that Peter “never existed”.
We see a strong bond here, this is her mind’s way of fighting for her saving her, protecting itself, the truth of itself.
So, does this bode well for Olivia sensing Peter in season 4?
Peter survived in her mind when the Altlivia memories kicked in and she wanted to forget she was ever Altlivia … what will happen now that she is in a TimeLine that is Peterless? She HAD those experiences, just in a different timeline. Just like she HAD those experiences with Peter, just in another Universe.

I’m interested in how the writers are going to make the distinction between a ‘universe’ and a ‘timeline.’ The Alternate Universe is a branch of reality that has seperated from our own, but how is that different from another ‘timeline?’ Should we not consider this new Peter-less timeline to be a new universe, since that is essentially what it is?

I think Roco once explained the timeline/universe distinction like this: the Universes can be considered the tree trunk, and the timelines are the branches, which is to say that the new iterations of reality created by Peter’s actions are still fundamentally connected to the original ‘Universes,’ but they have simply branched off in another direction.